Followers

Friday, January 20, 2012

KOREAN RECIPE: Grilled Deodeok

더덕구이(Deodeok Gui) by RaOn●

trans./ed. by Onsemiro

Grilled Codonopsis lanceolata (Deodeok Gui)

The root of deodeok (더덕, “Codonopsis
lanceolata” (CL)) is one of the most cherished healthy root foods among Korean people, along
with insam (인삼, “ginseng”),
chik (칡, “arrowroot”),
doraji (도라지, “Korean
bellflower root”), ueong (우엉, “burdock root”), and yeongeun (연근, “lotus
root”). About 70 % of the Korean peninsula
is covered by low and tall mountains where mushrooms, wild root plants, and
wild ferns have naturally grown for ages.
Korean people have collected and used them in dishes since you
don’t know when until now. I don’t know
whether ancient Koreans started eating these nature’s foods knowing their
health benefits or they came to the realization, as they ate these foods, that
they were beneficial. Whatever, the fact
is that the ancient Koreans left records to show these natural foods are as valuable
and beneficial as other expensive medicines (i.e. herbal medicines back then). And I’m amazed at how wise they were - just think about all the processes they must have undergone over ages of trial and error to select only the beneficial wild plants, ferns, and roots, and also to create ideal recipes for the dishes.

RaOn’s
Korean root dish of the day is “grilled deodeok.” I used gaeul
deodeok roots (가을더덕, “fall CL roots,” gathered in fall as indicated in its name)
which are considered the best – the most beneficial and flavorful of all the wild deodeok roots. In traditional Korean herbal medicine, deodeok roots are known to (1) protect the
bronchial tubes, (2) soothe the phlegmy coughs, (3) cleanse the lungs, (4)
detoxify the body, (5) prevent and fight cancer, (6) boost your appetite by
strengthening the spleen and stomach, and (7) reduce swelling by rejuvenating
the kidneys. The antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antimutagenic
activities of deodeok roots are quite a known fact in medical circles nowadays.

No
matter how healthy foods are, you won’t eat them too often if they are not
tasty. But trust me on this: deodeok has the most outstanding combinations
in taste, flavor, texture, and nutritional value of all other root plants. This is why this food is so popular among
Korean people and there are so many famous Korean dishes that have deodeok roots in them: deodeokgui (더덕구이, “grilled
CL roots”), deodeokjangajji (더덕장아찌, “pickled CL roots” ), deodeok muchim (더덕무침, “seasoned
CL roots”), deodeok gimchi/kimchi (더덕김치, “CL root kimchi”), deodeok jeon (더덕전,
“CL root pancakes”), and deodeok
saengchae (더덕생채, “Korean-style CL root
salad”).

INGREDIENTS:

● 500 g deodeok roots*
(approx. 1.1 lbs or 15 roots)

Marinade

● 4 TBSP
gochujang* (Korean hot pepper
paste)

● 1 TBSP
gochugaru* (Korean hot pepper powder)

● 2 TBSP
ganjang (soy sauce)

● 2 TBSP
maesil cheong** (Korean plum syrup)

→Substitute: 2 TBSP squeezed apple/pear juice

● 3 TBSP
jocheong or ssalyeot* (Korean rice syrup)

→Substitute:
3 TBSP honey or Oligo syrup*

● 1 ½ TBSP
sesame oil

● 1
green onion, chopped

Grilling
● sesame oil and grapeseed (or canola) oil mixture (1:1)

Topping
● 2 TBSP sesame seeds, toasted

*You can find the ingredients in your local Korean markets.**You can find maesil cheong or maesil extract at Amazon.com.

Step 1. Peel Deodeok
Roots

(You can jump to step 2 if you choose to buy already peeled deodeok roots, which are available at
your local Korean markets.)

●Wash the
roots thoroughly and put them in water. Draw
a 1/2 inch-long vertical line with a knife on a root and then peel off the rest
by hand. Feeling challenged? Just think of the way Robert De Niro peeled off
an egg in the movie “Angel Heart.” (NDR/NDT: Click HERE to watch the scene that
starts at 1:38; and click HERE
to see the detailed pictures of the peeling process.) Or peel it just as if you tear it off.

● The sap that comes from the root when
you peel it has anti-inflammatory benefits thanks to its sap-onin
content. The study found that deodeok
improves the inflammatory response of some immune system cells and suppresses
nitric oxide and tumor necrosis factor.
So remember sappier is better. Make sure to wear disposable gloves when you peel it lest your hands get
sticky and dirty.

deodeok roots: (left) unpeeled; (right) peeled

● You can also buy already peeled deodeok roots, which are available at
your local Korean markets.

Step 2. Spread and Tenderize Deodeok Roots.

● Make a deep vertical slit through the
root and split it open. Put the root in
a zipper bag – remember the sap? It’s to
keep your hands and other kitchen utensils from getting all sticky and colored. Place the ziplocked root on a wooden cutting
board and beat it with a stick or wooden rolling pin until it is widened and flattened.

● When you beat the root, do it gently,
starting from its thickest middle part. If
you smash it with all your might, then the root will break into pieces. Do it just a little bit harder than tapping
your parents’ shoulders to give them a massage.

(left) tapping a deodeok root; (right) tenderized root rectangles

● This laborious tenderizing job will give the root “meaty”
texture when it’s grilled so that even a veggie-hater could love it. (NDR/NDT: My son, Caleb, loves it when it’s
flattened as thinly as possible and grilled as toasty as possible. And he still thinks it’s a kind of grilled meat,
not a veggie.)

● Cut each flattened root horizontally
into two, yielding two 3-inch-long rectangles, and soak in cold water for about 30 minutes. Drain the roots through a
strainer.

Step 3. Prepare Marinade.

(clockwise from top left) maesil cheong or maesil extract, jocheong or ssalyeot, gochujang and gochugaru, and soy sauce

● Maesil
cheong is a Korean plum extract which is combined with brown sugar and
aged in a jar. When used in a dish, it
adds a kick to the taste of whatever you got – an MSG-free gamchil mat (감칠맛, “a fifth basic taste together with
sweet, sour, bitter, and salty”). This
extract has antibacterial properties, protects the stomach, and
aids digestion. When you have a stomach
upset, heartburn, or acid indigestion, drop a teaspoonful or two of this
extract in a cup of warm or cold water and drink it slowly. It will relieve nausea and other symptoms.

●Jocheong
or ssalyeot is fermented Korean rice
syrup which is made from steamed rice and frequently used in Korean dishes
instead of sugar. (Beware mulyeot is corn syrup.) As Korean rice syrup does not affect your
blood sugar levels, it can be a healthier substitute for sugar or corn syrup.

Step 4. Marinate Deodeok
Roots.

● Brush marinade generously and very gently
over root rectangles lest they be easily torn apart. Still, if you feel too lazy, then pour prepared
marinade over the root rectangles and mix very gently until well coated.

● Stack up marinated roots in a bowl
and sprinkle chopped green onions on top of each layer.

A layer of marinated deodeok rectanglessprinkled with chopped green onions

Step 5. Grill Deodeok
Roots.

● If you’re worried about environmental
estrogens, you may want to use a diamond-coated or marble-coated grill
pan. If it’s nonstick, it means you can
use less oil.

● Heat 2 tsp sesame oil and grape oil
mixture in a grill (or frying) pan over medium heat. Cook root rectangles until both sides are toasty
brown. You may cook the roots on a charcoal grill if you prefer.

● Nothing smells better than the
mouthwatering aroma of deodeok
grilling in a pan or on a barbecue mixed with the fragrance of sesame oil. So, how’s it taste? You’ll never know until you taste it. Just give yourself a chance to savor this flavorful,
healthy Korean food.

When you have a get-together with family and friends over a barbeque
party, think about grilling both deodeok
roots and meat. This will help reduce
the absorption of cholesterol and saturated fat contained in meat and also prevent
cancer with its antioxidant, anticancer, and antimutagenic properties.

●My sister, RaOn, will be a contributing blog writer on this blog. She currently lives in Seoul, Korea, and will write about what real Korean people eat at home or at Korean-style diners, not at fancy restaurants – it’s just simple yet healthy comfort foods that happen to be very delicious!

5 comments:

WOW!! Just finished eating this and it was awesome! Nice recipe, thank you so much...Someone sent us a big box of deodok today as a gift and I had no idea what to do with it. Will definitely be making this in the future :-)

This was truly awesome . My 3 year old daughter loved it too . I had eaten it at Hangawi in New York and couldn't find it on any of the restaurant menus in Los Angeles. I stuck the marinated Todok under the grill in oven and turned it when the top started getting crisp.

Did you mean you had used my sister's recipe? If so, that's awesome. And here's one more tip: finely chop deokdeok, u-eong (burdock), pyogo beoseot (shitake mushroom), onion, and green onion and mix all these ingredients with pressed/drained dubu (tofu). Add salt, soy sauce and pepper to taste. Make hamburger patties and grill them. This will be an awesome vegetarian substitute for beef burgers